Comparison of Gait Stability of using an Outdoor Rollator with Walking and using a Bassinet as Ambulatory AidPark, Min-Su; Park, Soo-Hee; Yang, Yeong-Ae;

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to find the problems of stability when people use the bassinet as an ambulatory aid for old people. Background: Many aged people use a bassinet as ambulatory aid. But the safety of using the bassinet as ambulatory aid has not been verified yet. Method: The 13 university-students who don`t have musculoskeletal disorders volunteered to participate in this study. According to structural analysis of the both tools, we compared the structural stability of an outdoor rollator with the structural stability of a bassinet. And when the participants walked using both tools, the motions were captured and analysed. We measured the angle of shoulder joint and the angle of trunk from the ground when the participants were walking. And we found the distance from participants` pressure cone apex and greater trochanter. Results: Following the structural analysis, the bassinet has the lower structural stability than the outdoor rollator. When the people used the bassinet as ambulatory aid, the angle of the shoulder joint was bigger than to use the outdoor rollator. The angle of trunk wasn`t different between the outdoor rollator and the bassinet. And distance from pressure cone apex to greater trochanter was far to use the bassinet than to use the outdoor rollator. Conclusion: Through the structure analysis and gait analysis of the bassinet and the outdoor rollator, we can be aware of that the bassinet has problem of stability. Therefore the people who use the bassinet as an ambulatory aid, especially supporting body weight, may be hurt due to the problems of stability. Application: This research can be used for developing a study of the ambulatory aid and preventing the accident when the aged people use the ambulatory aid.

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